TV star Kelly Somers says she still faces 'imposter syndrome' despite rapid rise
When you watch the best broadcasters in full flow, they look effortless.
But in reality, it takes years of hard work and sheer bloody-mindedness to reach the top. Kelly Somers, who is part of Channel 4's coverage for Saturday evening's game between Ukraine and England, will tell you that.
The 32-year-old has worked tirelessly for more than a decade to become one of the most recognisable broadcasters in English football, working for the likes of the BBC and the Premier League. Yet she still doesn't think she's cracked the industry. "There are very few people that have, and I certainly haven't," Somers tells Mirror Football.
That self-doubt, known as imposter syndrome, is common within the media - especially for freelancers. Although that anxiety is hard to accept, Somers believes it can be a source of motivation. It forces her to be "ridiculously prepared" for every job she accepts.
"It makes you constantly want to work hard and do really well at every single gig you do, but I think imposter syndrome is real in this industry. I'm the first to admit that I suffer from it because there are so many talented people in this industry, and I'm very aware of how fortunate I am to do what I do.
Escape to the Chateau's Dick and Angel give exciting news as fans beg for return
"My New Year's resolution this year was to try and not think too far in front and just enjoy what I'm doing... but I'd definitely say I haven't conquered that."
Somers knows that worry will always be there, but her self-belief grows every time the likes of Channel 4 give her a chance. It's refreshing to hear that even someone as popular as Somers feels the pressure. Yet gaining that imposter syndrome is easy when you work in such a competitive industry.
Like most broadcasters, Somers had to give everything to get to the top. "It was a lot of work experience, a lot of emails and letters and rejections along the way... I could probably go through my emails now and find all the people that never replied to me."
Somers knew she wanted to become a sports journalist from a young age. The Watford-born star won a competition in the local newspaper while she was in school and got the opportunity to go into press boxes, where she became "hooked".
Somers is used to interviewing the likes of Gareth Southgate (Getty Images)Do you think England will beat Ukraine? Let us know in the comments below!
"From then on in, I was determined... that was what I wanted to do because I realised I could watch football (and work). I remember saying to my mum, 'There's a job where you can actually watch football and get paid for it?' So it just became what I wanted to do."
But even though Somers was blessed with tunnel vision, it still took years to get her feet under the media's crowded table. She was the press officer for Loughborough Lightning during her time at the nearby university and edited the student newspaper. She also did loads of work experience for newspapers and magazines. Much of that work was unpaid, by the way.
Somers eventually got her big break when Bournemouth hired her to work in their media department. She "did a bit of everything down there" - writing press releases, accompanying players to interviews and conducting some of those interviews herself.
That latter task was crucial to her career. "I realised that I loved interviewing... I'm a nosey person! I love conversations and learning about people. I just started doing more and more interviews. As the department grew, I specialised in that."
Luckily for Somers, that department grew quite quickly thanks to Bournemouth's rapid rise from League Two to the Premier League under Eddie Howe. That experience led to her gaining a junior presenting role at Premier League Productions... and she's since gone from strength to strength.
Love It or List fans surprised as they spot family in car company advert
Like most of us within the industry, Somers has loved football since her childhood thanks to her family of Watford fans. Her first game was Watford's 2-0 victory in the First Division (now known as the Championship) play-off final against Bolton at Wembley. "I was just completely taken with football from that day."
And it was her mum who was the most in love with the Hornets, reassuring her that football isn't just a 'men's game'. "It'd always been a really normal thing for me. People would be like, 'Did you go (to football) with your dad?' And I say, 'No, my mum always went to football'. So I was always used to women being in football."
Watford's manager at the time was Graham Taylor, the former England boss who passed away in 2017. Taylor was first appointed by Watford in 1977 when Elton John owned the club. He led them from the Fourth Division to the First, with only Bob Paisley's great Liverpool team stopping them from becoming champions of England in 1983.
That famous rise was before Somers' time, but Taylor returned to Vicarage Road to lead them from the third tier to the Premier League in the 90s. Those early memories of Taylor restoring Watford to the top of English football will never leave Somers.
"I wonder if my mum would've gone to football as often - if I would've gone to football as often - if Graham Taylor wasn't the Watford manager. Everything he stood for is what I love about football and why I fell in love with it. There's now a mural on a house next to Vicarage Road which says, 'Make sure your footsteps are left at the club for others to follow'.
"He was such an influential figure at Watford and every club he went to, and he was such an honourable man. The way his teams played football and were made to feel part of a family club, that's everything football should be - for me - and why I fell in love with it... he just seems like the nicest man in the world."
Somers' earliest memory of football is watching Watford win the 1999 First Division play-off final (Getty Images)Somers would've loved to have interviewed Taylor, although she's had the privilege of speaking to some of England's biggest stars. Jude Bellingham is "just as impressive off the pitch as on it", while Jack Grealish's "honesty is so endearing".
But the one interview that sticks in Somers' mind is her chat with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. "He was actually really candid. He opened up on his father being diagnosed with cancer when he was younger and later dying, and how that shaped his whole career and life.
"He did one single answer that was over 10 minutes long. It was one of those moments... where everyone in the room was in stunned silence and in awe. You could've heard a pin drop.
"I feel so fortunate that on that occasion, he trusted me enough to open up and tell me that. It's really quite a moving and special moment. One of those interviews that for the next week or so you lay in bed and think, 'Wow, that was amazing'... it was so powerful."
Although Somers has achieved plenty during her career, she would love to present more live football matches and really test her ability as a broadcaster. "I think you learn just how good you are."
Somers also wants to work in other sports if the opportunity arises, such as Formula One, netball and cricket. "I got really hooked on the Ashes this summer, I love Test cricket... the challenge for me is to become an even better broadcaster, a more rounded one."
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
